Food Systems Countdown Initiative Country Policy Brief Kenya
- 25/07/2025
Kenya’s engagement in food systems transformation reflects a strong policy commitment and growing political will to address persistent food and nutrition security challenges. This ambition is evident in progressive national frameworks such as the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy (2011), Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (2019–2029), Agricultural Soils Management Policy (2023), and the newly launched National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation (2024–2033). These strategies are aligned with global and regional commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation, and the Malabo Declaration on comprehensive African agricultural development, signalling Kenya’s intention to lead in advancing climateresilient and equitable food systems.
Tools to support food systems transformation Releasing the brake on food systems transformation: Africa-focus
- 25/07/2025
Since the lead-up to the UNFSS, we have been supporting countries to draw up pathways to better food systems, and to begin walking the talk. But many constraints still hinder progress, and reforms are sorely needed. That’s why we have worked with governments to develop and implement a series of practical tools to strengthen policy decision making processes and capacities. These are tools created to give users a hand over major, common barriers. They are also designed to align with or to support ongoing national processes, such as monitoring plans, or indeed continental and transnational ambitions, including the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and the seven aspirations of Agenda 2063 which call for a more prosperous, integrated, democratic, peaceful, pan- African, people-driven, and influential Africa by 2033. The tools collected here can be instrumental: in diagnosing food systems to identify critical gaps and untapped opportunities; in shaping nimble action plans in line with national priorities; in identifying much-needed policy reforms to ensure sectors act alongside each other, rather than against; and in providing new ways to effectively navigate political, financial, and technical impediments. Barriers have stood in the path of meaningful progress for too long – we must break through them.
Food Systems Countdown Initiative Country Policy Brief Nigeria
- 25/07/2025
Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its food systems transformation journey. As Africa’s most populous nation with over 225 million people, Nigeria has demonstated significant political commitment to food systems transformation, explicitly embedding goals in its National Pathways to Food Systems Transformation and developing comprehensive policy frameworks following the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit. The country’s engagement in global food systems transformation efforts led to the development of an implementation strategy for the National Pathways to Food Systems Transformation, coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which serves as the National Convenor for this agenda.
Understanding Moments of Change in Food Systems Transformation
- 21/07/2025
Understanding Moments of Change in Food Systems Transformation Four years on from the UN Food Systems Summit, how well are we progressing in transforming food systems so that they reduce hunger, increase access to healthy diets, reduce climate emissions, improve climate resilience, create good jobs, and nurture the environment? The numbers tell a mixed story. According to the Food Systems Countdown Initiative, itself a creation of the UNFSS, only 20 of 42 global food system indicators are trending positively (1), with none fast enough to meet 2030 SDG goals. These numbers are important but inevitably reliant on data that are 2–3 years out of date.
GAIN Discussion Paper n°19
- 10/07/2025
The UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) was the first time youth were actively invited to be equal participants in a global food or nutrition summit. Youth played a pivotal role in UNFSS, contributing diverse perspectives to transform global food systems. Through youth-led dialogues, leadership in action tracks, and the UNFSS Youth Constituency, young people influenced policies, showcased innovative solutions for sustainability, and championed intergenerational equity. A key outcome of UNFSS was the Food Systems Pathways, which set out countries’ approaches for transforming their food systems to be more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Youth at the Heart of Food Systems Transformation: Reflections from ACT4FOOD’s Arusha gathering
In April 2025, we took part in the Act4Food Youth Leaders Workshop held in Arusha, Tanzania, a truly transformative experience that deepened our already strong convictions of the power and potential of young people to shape the future of our food systems. Organized by ACT4FOOD with support from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the workshop brought together 22 youth leaders from across the globe working under the ACT4FOOD banner, along with GAIN staff and additional food systems youth leaders from Tanzania.
Human Centred Design in Practice – Social Protection Pilot Project Launched in Ethiopia
Human Centred Design (HCD) is a set of approaches, methods, and mindsets that can be applied to create fit-for-purpose solutions (designed around the needs of the final user). GAIN is committed to making social protection systems work harder for the nutrition and dietary resilience of the most vulnerable consumers using HCD. In Ethiopia, children are a particularly vulnerable group when it comes to malnutrition – with 39% stunted, and 28% suffering from micronutrient deficiencies. Education and nutrition are intrinsically linked, with malnutrition having a harmful effect on academic performance as well as adult life (Ready to learn and thrive - School health and nutrition around the world, UNESCO, 2023).
Rwanda’s First-Ever Food Systems Strategy Sets the Stage for Transformation
Rwanda is writing a new chapter in its journey toward prosperity. A journey rooted in resilience, innovation, and the power of its people. At the heart of this transformation is agriculture: a sector that not only feeds the nation but holds the promise of widespread economic growth, improved nutrition, and environmental sustainability.
From Maps to Action Strengthening Indonesia’s Food Security through an Enhanced Food Security and Vulnerability Atlas 2025 with Localized and Updated Indicators
- 16/06/2025
Indonesia’s 2025 update of its Food Security and Vulnerability Atlas (FSVA) marks a transformative leap in the nation’s commitment to building a resilient, data-driven food system. While the FSVA has been updated annually in previous years, the 2025 edition introduces major innovations, including the use of village-level data for over 83,000 villages, expanded sub-district analysis, and the integration of new composite indicators and predictive modeling. These advances enable the more precise identification of food-insecure areas, supporting targeted actions aligned with national priorities, such as reducing stunting, alleviating poverty, and promoting rural development. With these enhancements, FSVA 2025 strengthens Indonesia’s capacity to deliver evidence-based, locally tailored interventions across all levels of government.